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Multiple-Meaning Words

A multiple-meaning word is spelled and said the same way but means different things: a bat flies at night, and you hit a ball with a bat. Context is the only clue, which is why these words are such good reading practice.

Here are 124 multiple-meaning words from past ClueBy puzzles, each with a real example sentence for every meaning. Use them as a reference, or make a printable worksheet below.

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Students read each sentence and write the missing word. Every word appears in several sentences, each time with a different meaning.

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Multiple-Meaning Words

Name: ____________________Date: __________

Write the missing word in each sentence. Each word is used more than once, with a different meaning each time.

  1. The giraffe protected her ________________ with great courage.
  2. Many English words ________________ from Latin.
  3. Place the flour, butter and salt into a large clean ________________.
  4. Lukas kept the diamonds in a locked ________________.
  5. A valuable ________________ decreases in value if it is damaged.
  6. We need to ________________ with this problem right now.
  7. I need a ________________ to install the towel rack.
  8. The ceiling is a plaster ________________ painted with stars.
  9. The ________________ told me I needed to practice harder.
  10. Don't make such a big ________________ out of small things.
  11. Millions watch the Super ________________ every February.
  12. The giraffe did all she could to defend her ________________.
  13. Part of that ________________ required him to leave the singing group.
  14. Have you met the new head ________________?
  15. We had a fire ________________ at school today.
  16. Scientists study ________________ cells to repair damaged tissue.
  17. Is the royal ________________ prepared for the journey?
  18. Why would I ________________ to a disabled ramp?
  19. He had ________________ pain while walking.
  20. Thanks to his efforts, he attained his ________________.
  21. The soldiers did ________________ on the parade ground every morning.
  22. The big green plant was starting to droop at the ________________.
  23. It's your turn to ________________ the ball down the lane.
  24. Champaud competed in the parallel bars, ________________, and pommel horse events.

Sentences from ClueBy, Tatoeba (CC BY 2.0 FR) and Common Voice (CC0). clueby.com

Answer key

  1. calf — a young animal
  2. stem — to come from
  3. bowl — a dish
  4. vault — a safe
  5. object — a thing
  6. deal — to handle
  7. drill — the tool
  8. vault — an arched ceiling
  9. coach — a trainer
  10. deal — a big deal
  11. bowl — a football final
  12. calf — a young animal
  13. deal — an agreement
  14. coach — a trainer
  15. drill — a practice
  16. stem — a stem cell
  17. coach — pulled by horses
  18. object — to protest
  19. calf — of the leg
  20. object — an aim
  21. drill — army training
  22. stem — of a plant
  23. bowl — to roll
  24. vault — in gymnastics

Multiple-meaning words list

Tick up to 10 words to build a worksheet with just those words.

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Frequently asked questions

What are multiple-meaning words?

Words with the same spelling and pronunciation but more than one meaning, like bark (of a dog or of a tree) or bank (for money or of a river). You can only tell which meaning is meant from the rest of the sentence.

Are multiple-meaning words the same as homonyms?

Mostly, yes. Teachers often use "multiple-meaning words" and "homonyms" for the same idea. Homophones are different: they sound alike but are spelled differently, like flour and flower.

Are the worksheets free?

Yes. Make and print as many as you like for home or classroom use. Each sheet has its own link, so you can print the same one again.

Where do the words come from?

From past ClueBy puzzles, a daily game where you sort twelve sentences by their missing word. A new puzzle every day adds four more words to this list.

Sentences from ClueBy, Tatoeba (CC BY 2.0 FR) and Common Voice (CC0). clueby.com